A diverse group of talented professionals with a passion for helping people are working together to create a platform that provides wellness products. To do this, they decided to form a co-op, and, with the help of Co-operatives First, Ananda Cooperative was incorporated in 2021.
Not yet a year old, the co-op already has a prototype of its first product, a Breathe Wheel Journal. Inspired by Indigenous teachings and Yogic practice, the journal is a guide to mindfulness and wellbeing. 100% of the profits from this beautifully illustrated book go to their partner Indigenous communities.
Some other products the cooperative has in the works include a storybook, board game, and herbal “balancers”.
The Mission
The Vancouver-based cooperative’s mission is to “listen to, learn from and honour Indigenous ways of being.” And they “strive to embody this through our work and how we show up in the world each day.”
Besides being grounded in Indigenous ways, the co-op has some ambitious practical goals.
“Part of our mandate and business model involves profit-share with Indigenous organisations and gender equity organisations across North America,” a representative of the co-op said. “We want to build a long-term, sustainable worker-owned coop that can provide millions of dollars to grassroots organizations that need funding.”
Why a co-op?
A spokesperson from Ananda said the group likes that co-op businesses are good at surviving the ups and downs of traditional business cycles and that as a worker co-op all employees have a voice in how the business runs.
Co-operatives First is honoured the group trusted us with the incorporation of the co-op in British Columbia, and look forward to seeing the business grow and thrive.
A Testimonial
“Working with Co-operatives First was fantastic! We are still new to the cooperative world, and we relied heavily on their advice and expertise when drafting our rules/bylaws, and our memorandum of association. The team has experience with many different cooperative models, so they provided advice on what has and hasn’t worked for other cooperatives. We wouldn’t have been able to incorporate without their help!”